Ethernet in the First Mile Alliance Announces Official Ratification of the IEEE 802.3ah EFM Standard.

FREMONT, Calif. -- IEEE 802.3ah ratification announced during first EFM Interoperability demonstration at the SUPERCOMM 2004 SUPERDEMO in Chicago

The Ethernet in the First Mile Alliance (EFMA) today announced that the final milestone in the IEEE standards approval process was reached today when the IEEE 802.3ah specification for Ethernet in the First Mile was unanimously approved as an IEEE standard by the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) Standards Board.

"The completion of the IEEE 802.3ah EFM standard significantly expands the range and reach of Ethernet transport for use in the Metro and Access networks," said Craig Easley, President of the Ethernet in the First Mile Alliance and Director of the Service Provider Marketing at Extreme Networks. "This new standard gives service providers a variety of flexible and cost-effective solutions for delivering broadband Ethernet services in Access and Metro networks. Service providers can now focus on providing critical services to their market without worrying about interoperability conflicts."

The Ethernet in the First Mile project had perhaps the largest scope of any IEEE 802 standard ever undertaken. Specifying new interface types for Ethernet over fiber optic and copper media along with new OAM mechanisms for managing Ethernet subscriber networks required tireless effort from individuals representing over 100 companies.

"The completion of the IEEE standard represents a major step towards realizing the vision of Ethernet in the First Mile," remarked Howard Frazier, the chairman of the IEEE 802.3ah EFM Task Force. "All of the people who worked so hard on this project deserve thanks and congratulations, and I offer my sincere thanks to the members of the Ethernet in the First Mile Alliance for their unfailing support of the project."

EFM Alliance Showcases Interoperable Solutions for First Mile Access

The ratification of the IEEE 802.3ah standard came in conjunction with the first ever interoperability demonstration of EFM technologies by EFMA member companies at SUPERCOMM 2004 in Chicago. EFMA member companies including: Actelis Networks, Agilent Technologies, Cisco Systems, Ericsson, Extreme Networks, Hatteras Networks, Infineon and Passave Networks participated in this landmark demonstration of new technology for the broadband access network. The interoperability demonstrations were verified by Iometrix test labs, which has developed a suite of compliance and interoperability tests for EFM technology. The EFM SUPERDEMO and will continue throughout SUPERCOMM 2004 and can be seen by visiting booth #20338.

"The EFMA demonstration at SUPERCOMM 2004 was a huge success," said Peter Linder, Vice President of Marketing for the EFMA and Technical Director Wireline Networks Ericsson. "This demonstration shows that these products can be seamlessly integrated, which paves the road for service providers worldwide to begin mass deployments of Ethernet access networks for delivery of the next generation of Broadband services"

The EFMA demo showcased technologies from the four EFM sub-task areas, including:

--Point-to-point copper

--Point-to-point fiber

--Point-to-multipoint fiber (EPON)

--Operation, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM)

About the IEEE 802.3ah Standards Effort

Since November 2000, more than 200 individuals from over 80 companies have participated in an IEEE study group, which formally became the IEEE 802.3ah EFM Task Force in September 2001. The IEEE 802.3ah EFM Task Force is chartered with developing the IEEE EFM standard and is part of the IEEE 802.3 Working Group, which is responsible for the development of all Ethernet standards. For additional information on the IEEE 802.3ah EFM Task Force, see http://www.ieee802.org/3/efm/index.html.

About the Ethernet in the First Mile Alliance (EFMA)

Created to promote the use of Ethernet in the First Mile subscriber access networks and support the IEEE 802.3ah standard process, the EFMA is made up of the leading network infrastructure and service providers: Actelis Networks, Agilent Technologies, Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO), Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERICY), Extreme Networks (NASDAQ:EXTR), Harbour Networks, Hatteras Networks, Infineon Technologies (NYSE:IFX), Iometrix, NTT Group (NYSE:NTT), Passave Networks and the University of New Hampshire Interoperability Lab. For additional information about the Ethernet in the First Mile Alliance or membership, visit its web site at www.efmalliance.org.